Month: February 2025

Source: United States Navy

U.S. Navy Capt. Lee Stuart, JMIC director, along with representatives of Combined Task Force (CTF) 153 of the Combined Maritime Forces, briefed ships’ masters, senior officers and corporate security managers on the current Middle East region maritime security situation, specifically in the Red Sea. CTF 153 is responsible for maritime security in the Red Sea, Bab al-Mandeb, and Western Gulf of Aden.

“The Red Sea attacks highlighted the gap in understanding between commercial shipping and navies. JMIC aims to bridge that gap and increase cooperation to help keep mariners and passengers safe at sea,” said Stuart.

Stuart also outlined JMIC’s role, composition, operations and range of information products, including its incident-specific Information Notes and monthly reports with rolling statistical analysis.

“The cruise industry is highly competitive, rapidly growing, sets schedules years ahead and must keep passenger safety as paramount,” he said.

Stuart also introduced JMIC’s Bridge Emergency Reference Cards, which guide bridge crews on actions to take before, during and after an incident.

The deepening engagement comes as cruise operators and other commercial shipping operators cautiously evaluate the risk of returning to the Red Sea.

“The cruise industry has some difficult decisions to make in response to the region’s complex and dynamic regional security situation,” Stuart said. “JMIC has a vital role to play in giving them reliable information to help their decision-making.”

The Joint Maritime Information Center, initially formed in February 2024 to engage commercial shipping stakeholders regarding Houthi attacks in the Red Sea, recently became a permanent part of Combined Maritime Forces with a broader, region-wide mandate.

Similar cruise industry engagements are planned for the future. JMIC also welcomes engagement from shipping industry stakeholders via its LinkedIn page at: https://www.linkedin.com/company/jmic.

Source: United States Navy

More than 80 Reservists took part in the ninth iteration of IMX, the largest multinational training event in the Middle East. IMX involved 5,000 personnel from more than 30 nations and international organizations committed to preserving the rules-based international order and strengthening regional maritime security cooperation.
During the exercise, Reservists supported NAVCENT exercise serials for maritime operations, including intelligence briefings, logistics planning, and responses to medical emergencies — all designed to prepare them to fill the roles of their active-component counterparts at a moment’s notice while also working alongside partner nations.

The immersive training brought many Reservists to the Maritime Operations Center and provided valuable experiences needed if called upon for duty.

“This iteration of IMX featured more real world involvement of more real world elements than other exercises I have been a part of as a Navy Reservist,” said Chief Operations Specialist Brendan McLendon. “To be on the watch floor and knowing that there are real ships underway, executing real events, made IMX an all-encompassing exercise I was happy to be a part of.”
Intelligence Specialist 1st Class Christopher Stark was at his third IMX, and acknowledged the work alongside partner nations was more integrated than previous editions.
“I was not able to work alongside each nation represented at IMX, but the ones I did work alongside were very professional,” said Stark. “They brought a lot of different knowledge and experience with them and to the methods they approach each scenario, which was interesting to learn.”

“If we did have a need to work alongside our partner nations, having this kind of preexisting relationship already in place is a good thing,” added McLendon.

Rear Adm. Jeff Jurgemeyer, the NAVCENT/C5F vice commander, participated fully in IMX 25 and addressed the 83 reserve Sailors at the culmination of the exercise.

“I hope you all had a worthwhile experience here in Bahrain during IMX,” said Jurgemeyer.
Also, he reinforced, that in an increasingly dynamic global security environment, exercises such as IMX display the critical role reserve Sailors play in current operations.

“The importance of what you all bring to NAVCENT and 5th Fleet in providing the support to be able to come in here is widely recognized. I get a lot of positive fededback about you all and they really appreciate that here. It can be hard for Vice Adm. Wikoff, commander of U.S. Naval Forces Central Command and U.S. 5th Fleet, to tell who is a reservist and who is not, and that is certainly what I like to hear.”

NAVCENT/C5F is the maritime component commander of U.S. Central Command in the U.S. 5th Fleet area of operations, which encompasses about 2.5 million square miles of water in the Arabian Gulf, Gulf of Oman, Arabian Sea, the Gulf of Aden, the Red Sea and parts of the Indian Ocean. The expanse comprises more than 20 countries and includes three critical choke points: the Suez Canal, and the Bab al-Mandeb Strait and the Strait of Hormuz.

Source: United States Navy

To support the newly expanded JMIC mission, Royal Australian Navy Capt. Jorge McKee, Combined Task Force (CTF) 153 commander, transferred three Naval Cooperation and Guidance of Shipping (NCAGS) specialist officers to JMIC.

McKee with JMIC Director, U.S. Navy Capt. Lee Stuart, and JMIC Deputy Director, Republic of Singapore Navy Cmdr. Andrew Sim, to transfer the officers, who are from the Royal Netherlands and Royal Norwegian navies.

Since forming on Feb. 20, 2024, as part of Operation Prosperity Guardian (OPG), the international response to attacks on merchant mariners by Yemen-based Houthis terrorists, JMIC has enhanced understanding, information sharing and cooperation between naval and commercial shipping in the region.

Once responsibility for OPG transferred from CTF 153 to the U.S. Navy’s Destroyer Squadron (DESRON) 50 on Feb. 1, JMIC expanded their operating area so they can provide the same level of service to the entire operating area.

JMIC’s regular information products now include incident monitoring, reporting and security assessments for the Arabian Gulf, Gulf of Oman and Northwestern Indian Ocean in addition to the Red Sea, Gulf of Aden and Bab al-Mandab.

“These officers have been an integral part of this task force, bringing valuable specialist commercial shipping industry expertise to inform daily operational decisions that I, and the rest of the team, have greatly appreciated,” McKee said. “We look forward to seeing their expertise benefit all CMF task forces and shipping operators across the region.”

Stuart likened the officers to the first crew of a newly commissioned ship.

“These officers are JMIC ‘plank owners.’” Stuart said. “They comprise the first crew of a combined unit supporting the free flow of commerce and commercial mariner safety for years to come.”

JMIC welcomes engagement from shipping industry stakeholders via its new LinkedIn page at: https://www.linkedin.com/company/jmic